Zambia sale Presidential jet due to high maintenance cost
The Zambian Government has been forced to sell off its presidential jet because of its high maintenance costs.
The government announced on Friday that the aircraft will be sold and buy a new jet with low-cost maintenance. The Zambian Minister of Defence Ambrose Lufuma said the government would not be able to afford the $2 million annual maintenance cost of the presidential jet.
In a statement, Mr. Lufuma said “The Government’s decision to sell the presidential jet is because the average management, maintenance, and communication cost of the presidential jet is over USD$2 million dollars per year giving a total average cost of over USD$ 42 million for a period of 20 years at the minimum. This is also against the considered fact that the annual management maintenance and communication costs are dependent on the flying activities undertaken in each calendar year by the presidential jet,”
The statement said the Zambian government was looking at buying a new aircraft but with a very low cost of maintenance.
The Zambian presidential jet was bought by the Zambia Government in 2019. The Gulfstream G650 VIP jet was ordered for $65 million via Israel. It comes equipped with self-defense equipment.
